Yoga Dude

Never practiced restorative yoga? It is a treat and I would highly recommend trying it!There is a perfect opportunity coming up!! I am offering a 2 hour class on Feb 18th 2-4pm at Yoga Daily in Mt Pleasant SC. You are officially invited to Rest, relax, rejuvenate your body, your mind and connect to your soul with us!

Super excited about collaborating with Michelle Fernandez again! It was such lovely experience back in December, that we are bringing it back! Come get rejuvenated with the practice of restorative yoga! The reiki will assist in removing energy blockages and getting your prana flowing freely again ! xoxo

The Orchestra of Life

This is my 135th Yoga Dude article. I have been writing a weekly article since June of 2019, at least I was until January of this year. I have written primarily about what I call “universal or absolute truths”. Those truths that survive time and the fickle nature of us as human beings. These are truths that are the foundation of our existence, presented from a human perspective. They are basic, yet once they are explored and incorporated into one’s life, they change everything. These three truths are:

We are, each and every one of us, a Holy Child of Creation. The Creator, Source, God is in each one of us and we are a part of Source.
We are, each and every one of us, without sin. Outside of this reality, manifested and created by us, sin does not exist. Right and wrong does not exist, only experience. This is why judgement is such a waste and destructive force to those that embrace it.
The Creator, Source, God is not complete without each and every one of us. As such, no one is “left behind”.

I have written many times about these truths, how they fit into our lives, our relationships, our thinking. Its all been covered multiple times in multiple ways over the last 134 articles. All 134 prior articles are available at the link below. To write more is not necessarily better.

It is time to either embrace these truths and take part in the evolution of humanity or walk away. Choosing to walk away is not wrong, it is simply a choice and in time another opportunity will present itself. However, we are evolving, it’s not pretty, but we are. Our collective frequency is rising. The process is messy and uncomfortable, much like an orchestra that is out of tune. It’s hard to be around until, magically, almost instantly, all members of the orchestra sync up and beautiful music, exponentially larger than the sum of the parts, begins to radiate out to all within reach.

Walk with me through the messy and uncomfortable. Work to sync up your frequency with those around you. Beautiful music and evolution are ours to be had. Know this as the 4th universal truth.

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Imagine

Imagine with me that there is a small solar system that sits at the edge of the galaxy. A small planet, literally the size of a poppy seed to a large muffin when compared to its sun, rotating within the solar system with multiple other planets. It’s such a small speck of a planet that no one would ever know it was there unless they were looking for it. To say it is insignificant within the scope of the galaxy would be an overstatement.

However, this planet is teeming with intelligent life. All life on this planet is created from the only Source that exists. Everything on this planet emanates from that same Source. It can be no other way, because when reduced to its atomic level, the scientists on this tiny planet have found it is only the energy of Source that exist. These beings call this Source energy Spiritual energy and call themselves Spiritual Beings.

Considering that the Spiritual Beings on this planet are from Source and can never be separated from Source, all activity by these Beings can only be Spiritual. Whether they are praying, eating, reproducing, working, competing, or hating and fighting, all the activity flows from Source and therefore must be Spiritual in nature. On this planet right and wrong cannot exist, good and bad cannot exist, only the richness of each experience. Their experiences are both pleasant and unpleasant, joyful and sad, but it is the full range of experience that provides the richness and texture of each and every experience.

These Spiritual Beings are on this tiny little planet at the edge of the galaxy by choice, to revel in the collective experiences that life on this planet offers.

Oftentimes they forget this Truth of their existence. They get lost in the experience. By judging those around them, the illusion of separation is created. Sometimes this illusion of separation seems so real that it is hard to believe it is not true. Nevertheless, they know, at their core, that they are in an illusion of separation. They know that they will leave this life that they chose to experience richer, wiser, fuller, more complete Beings.

Sound familiar?

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Step Outside The Dance



As some may have noticed, I have not posted lately. The inspiration didn’t come. If the message doesn’t come, I have nothing to pass on. That changed today and I heard it loud and clear.



I have been struggling lately with how to deal with a certain situation and individual. The hate and judgment coming at me is palpable. It makes me defensive, angry and wanting to defend myself.



We have all been there. The specifics are of no consequence. It doesn’t matter why the hatred is coming, justified or not. It is there and the first reaction we have all been taught is to defend yourself. Strike back, put them in their place, force a change in the emotions coming your way. If that doesn’t work, then simply wall them off. Ignore it and in time it will go away.



Problem is, forcing a change only treats the symptom. You may very well force the emotions to change, you may even get an apology, but that has done nothing to address the root cause of the situation. Same thing with walling it off, it will certainly provide a sense of relief, maybe even a sense of victory, but it will not last. It does not address the root cause.



How do I know this? Because I have been there, done that. Over and over and over. You can dissipate the hatred in the short term, but it will return. May be a different issue that triggers it, but the hatred is the same. It all reminds me of the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different result.



Yeah, yeah, yeah, Dude. I have heard it all before. Love them into submission. Turn the other cheek. All that does is get you run over, you have the right and the obligation to defend yourself!



Yes, I get it, but hear me out. Defending yourself in the traditional sense only perpetrates the hate. Why is that?



We are all connected, we all come from the same Source and return to that same Source. Attempting to defend yourself in the traditional sense only works in a black or white, right or wrong, good or bad reality that does not exist. This simplistic view of our existence has failed throughout history. Once you acknowledge duality doesn’t exist, you acknowledge the futility of fighting fire with fire.



We are all part of the same whole. Even science now accepts that premise as reality. We exist in a sea of energy and the change in energy in one spot cannot help but influence and change the energy in another spot. We are One, engaged in a dance with ourselves inside an illusion of our own making for the purpose of experiencing duality. You may want to read that sentence again. If you want to stop the experience of hate, anger, frustration, you must step outside the dance of duality. Even if just for a moment, experience a glimpse of your True Self in all its magnificence. Step outside the dance.



Put another way, the negative emotions we all wish to escape are nothing more than a mirror of our own emotions. We are fighting our own hatred! Don’t believe me? Try this simple meditation.



Sit. Quiet your mind by repeating the following until you are at peace:



I am the Truth

I am the Love

I am the Light

I Am



Now picture the perceived source of the negative emotion. Look at the individual or situation from a position of safety. Thank them for their presence in your life and thank them for the emotions that you feel. Thank them for the lesson they have given you. Now wrap them in all that you are, the Love Light and Truth that is your being. Wrap them in that pure energy of Source and release them. Release the emotions, state that they are no longer needed and release the emotions in Love and Light. Watch as the situation softens, brightens and releases. You are releasing your own darkness.



Know that all emotions, positive and negative, flow from you. If you want Love, radiate Love. If you want Light, radiate Light. Hatred, anger, darkness all dissipate in the Light. Only Love will remain in the Light.



When you are tired of the emotional drama, when you are tired of beating yourself up, step outside the dance and revel in the Oneness that defines us all.



Now we are doing yoga…



Namaste



Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Following Truth

What is truth as we move through this life? We all have an idea of what is true and right and good based upon our upbringing, laws of the land, ethics set forth by academia and morals set forth by our religious leaders. These are the “codes of conduct” devised by humans, but do they show the path of truth? Many times this code of conduct leads us in circles that contradict and confuse.

Truth cannot be intellectualized. It is not a concept that can be parsed out, theorized, or negotiated. Truth simply is and it does not come from the mind.

The truth of who you are and how you should behave is something you simply know. It comes from inside you and is a knowing or a feeling that cannot be compromised. That is not to say that we don’t compromise truths everyday because of typically selfish motives, but that does not make it right.

We all know immediately when we are living our truth, when we make decisions that are consistent with who we truly are. The decision may not make sense, it may not be supported by everything that lead up to that particular decision, but we know it to be true and right and good nevertheless.

We also know immediately when we make decisions that are not consistent with our truth. There is always a ting of guilt or shame when we step outside of our truth. We have all done it and I bet we will all do it again. That is part of being human.

Instead of intellectualizing your decisions, let them flow from within. Pay attention to the warm fuzzy feeling that wells up from within and follow its lead. This is your True Self suggesting the way. It does not follow a code of conduct, it follows Truth.

Follow your Truth and you will always find yourself where you need to be.

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

What If….

In today’s world it is very easy to give in to fear, to the anxiety of not knowing when the next threat to your safety and well-being might happen. You consider yourself generally safe and healthy, but you just don’t know what might be around the corner. This fear of “what if” can paralyze our spiritual growth, our ability to be happy and our lives in general.

I am reminded of a fox cub that my best friend and I found when I was 12 years old. This little guy could not have been more than a few weeks old and we found him in the tall grass of a field we were playing in. We no doubt scared his mother into the woods, but being boys, we quickly assumed he was abandoned. So we picked him up and took him home to my friend’s house. We set up a nice cage in the garage beside a window with a blanket, food and water. All he would eat were raisins, so that’s what we called him, Raisin. As the days passed, we realized that Raisin was paralyzed with fear. He would barely move even though we could find no signs of a physical injury. He was in a warm, safe environment and everyone loved on him, but it didn’t seem to matter. He was so afraid of what might happen, that he couldn’t let go of his fear and explore the world around him. We tried everything we could think of, but nothing worked. His fear had completely consumed him.

Just like Raisin, many of us are completely consumed by our fears. We know intellectually that we cannot be harmed and that we are a part of Source. We know that we are safe and loved, but it doesn’t matter. Our fear of the “what if” consumes and paralyzes us.

After a couple of weeks, we returned Raisin to the field where we found him. As he dropped his fear, he was instantly healed and ran into the woods without hesitation. Obviously, the only thing wrong with Raisin was his fear.

Dude, are you saying that to release our fear and be healed that we need to return to the wild?? If that is what works for you, then have at it! However, unlike Raisin, we don’t need to be returned to the woods to release our fear. We are not fox cubs, we are much more than that.

We are here now to live life to the fullest. We are here to explore all things that interest us and radiate Love to all that walk with us.

This is our calling, this is our challenge as children of God. Remember that you are an eternal Being of Light. As such, you cannot be harmed. Sure, you may skin a knee from time to time. We all do. But that is not a reason to walk this rock in fear. Embrace every experience that comes your way and know that it is those experiences that you take with you when it is time to go Home. It is those experiences that ultimately make up the rich and magnificent tapestry that is who you are.

Fear has no place in the tapestry of an eternal Being of Light. Fear is but an illusion that steals your ability to live. Leave fear behind you just as Raisin left his fear behind him as he returned to the woods and watch what happens!

This is the wonder and majesty of who we are, explorers of all of Creation without fear. If Raisin can do it, so can you.

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Swimming Against The Current

Have you ever tried swimming against the current? Its little to no progress, depending on the speed of the current. The only way to get up stream is to get out of the current, to go around it.

Sometimes, spiritual progress is the same way. The answers we seek are within our Higher Self. This is also the source of the Light or energy that makes us who we are. Our consciousness, which is a part of or an extension of the Higher Self, uses the flow of energy to create the world we live in. That energy flow is strong, never faltering and endless.

Attempting to swim against the flow will only trap you in this existence. It is no wonder that many never make any progress in their spiritual quest. It’s not that they are not earnest in their desire or true to their intention, it’s simply that they are starting the journey from the wrong location. They are attempting to swim against the flow.

If you start with the premise that you are your physical body and that you must travel outside that body to experience your Higher Self, you are setting yourself up for failure. First, the premise that you are your body is false. Second, you cannot move against the flow of Light. You can only move with the Light/Source Energy/Prana that makes up our existence. Dance with it, embrace it and see it as an extension of who you are.

Still yourself with your eyes closed and embrace the essence of who you are. You are consciousness that is using a physical body to experience this reality. You are not your body, you are not your mind. Those are simply tools to accentuate your physical existence.

Once you understand that you are indeed consciousness and not your body, you will realize that you are where you wanted to be all along. You reside in and are a part of your Higher Self. You have arrived without the need for a journey. No swimming upstream, no fighting to get where you want to be.

You are where you have always been. Your Higher Self has patiently waited for you to realize that you are already there.

Welcome Home.

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Your Full Potential

When I was in the third grade, I remember getting my report card and riding home on the bus pleased that I had all Bs, save one C. My buddies report cards were mostly Cs with a few Ds mixed in. I felt like I was at the top and proudly informed my mother of my great accomplishment.

To my great surprise and shock, she would have none of it. She scolded me for my poor grades, reminding me that I did my homework on the bus, never studied, and that I had the potential to make all As. I protested that my friends had worse grades than me. That didn’t matter, she said, I was not my friends and would be measured not by what my friends do but by my own potential. Although I hate to admit it, she was right. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and to be measured any other way than our own potential is meaningless.

The quest, the experience and the simple existence of the spiritual seeker is no different. We are all on the same journey to be sure, but perhaps at a different place. Accordingly, our perspectives of the journey as well as our individual potentials should not be the same. No one is better than anyone else, just different.

This is why the experienced yogi and the beginner can take the same class, do the same poses, yet have an entirely different experience and both come away from the class with satisfaction and benefit. Each yoga student comes at it from a different perspective, and with different potential. To measure or judge one student’s performance against another is meaningless.

Your perspective of this reality is unique, as is your individual potential. Only you know if you are fulfilling your potential, if you are doing your best as a fellow human being. It is only the you in the mirror that must be impressed, that you must make proud. Be guided by your Heart, listen to that soft inner voice and you will always live to your full potential.

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Holiday Message - Your Ultimate Pose

Life doesn’t need to be hard. Relax into it. All of the drama, all of the heartache, all of the conflict. Relax into it. There is no battle between good and evil, that is a construct created by us humans. Relax into it. We tell yoga students the same thing when they are having trouble with a pose. Relax into it. Who knew yoga could teach life lessons! Now smile and open yourself to receive. It is time to receive your own grandeur. Relax into it.

We do not always want to hear the truth. It is too simple and it destroys the drama we all work so hard to create. Whether it is self-righteous indignation or being a victim, the Truth is that all those things are self-created. All that is needed to overcome the fear, the drama and the conflict is to allow yourself to love.

Love yourself just as you are. Love others just as they are. It is only Love that can overcome the darkness we create.

Remember the simplicity of it all. Love is Light. Darkness in any form cannot survive in the presence of Light. It is not a battle; the darkness simply withdraws. You are Light. Only you can allow darkness into your life.

You are a Divine Being of Light. You are a part of the Creator of all that is. That same Creator is not complete without you! Grasp the magnificence of this statement. Would such a Being of Light bother with darkness of any kind?

This is the good news of the holiday season. This is what will bring peace on earth. This is what will bring all of mankind together.

This is your ultimate pose. Relax into it.

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Just Be

Have you ever felt lost? Just lost and tired? Don’t know in which direction to take your next step and to tired or apathetic to care? I know I have. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with the feeling that nothing I do or say matters, so why even try? Whether we want to admit it or not, we all feel that way at times. It’s all part of the human experience.

At those times, give yourself permission to be. Just be.

There is no place you need to go, nothing you really need to do. Yes, we all have demands on our time and responsibilities, but the pressure of those outside forces is never as urgent as we make them out to be.

Perhaps you take the time to sit down and watch the sun rise. Just be. Maybe it is with a coffee and a piece of chocolate cake. It doesn’t matter really. Just be. Be one with yourself and with Source. Luxuriate in the Light and Love of your True Self knowing that all the drama, all the pressure, all the work is just temporary and created by you in the first place!

All that baggage will still be right there where you left it when you are ready to move on.

The question is will you pick all that baggage up or will you leave some of it behind? Leave it where it sits. You can always come back and get it if need be. If you find you just can’t live without the angst of that one particular bag, circle back and pick it up later. However, if it feels better without it, try dropping another bag. Just to try it out.

One bag at a time until it’s just you, the sunrise and that piece of chocolate cake.

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.

Showroom New

My grandfather died shortly after I graduated from college. I did not have a full-time job, or part time for that matter, and I moved in with my grandmother for a few months. I like to think I did it to help her with her loss, but truth be told, we helped each other understand this thing called life.

Most days I drove her to visit with a friend or two. I would typically drop her off, run a few errands, and then pick her up in time for the nightly news, a VO and ginger ale highball and dinner. My grandfather would fix her a VO and ginger ale every evening to drink while watching the news as prescribed by her doctor. I have been looking for a like-minded doctor ever since!

Some afternoons we would go to the local nursing home to visit her friends that had moved into what I came to regard as a cruel and senseless holding facility for the infirmed and dying. On those days I would stay with her and push her friends that were in wheel chairs down the halls while they visited.

One of her best friends was a music teacher. However, now that she was in the nursing home, she had become what many would consider catatonic, motionless and non-communicative. We would always find her sitting in a wheel chair, staring at the floor and smelling of urine. My grandmother would carry on a one-sided conversation, reminiscing and bringing news of their mutual friends, while I pushed her wheel chair down the hall.

One afternoon was especially nice and when we reached the end of the hallway my grandmother suggested we continue outside instead of turning around. I was a warm summer afternoon, beautiful fluffy white clouds in a blue sky and birds flitting about in the trees that lined the sidewalk connecting the building to a second residence hall.

That is when the miracle happened. Right before our eyes this catatonic music teacher came alive. She raised her head, deeply breathed in the fresh air and smiled. She was now sitting upright in the chair and reveling in the beauty of the blue sky, birds and trees.

Without speaking a word, she raised her hands to the sky and began playing “air” piano as she swayed to the melody that only she could hear. My grandmother and I were astonished to say the least. We stood and watched as my grandmother’s best friend came alive inside a body that was failing her.

At the time, I could not understand the stark division between who we are as a living being of the Creator and our bodies. Now, in my sixth decade, I do. I look in the mirror and see a reflection that does not capture who I am. I look more like a well-worn car with 100,000 miles on it. Gone is that shiny new car, but many useful miles are still left on the frame.

However, the me still feels showroom new! Life doesn’t wear down the passenger, only the vehicle we ride in. The reality of this dual existence becomes more apparent as our bodies age. The you, the real you is as magnificent, beautiful and vibrant as the day you chose to come into this life.

We are eternal beings of Light. We are a part of the Creator just as the Creator is a part of us. The experience of a failing body is just that, an experience. It does not define us or harm us.

In time we will be back in the showroom picking out a new one!

Now we are doing yoga…

Namaste

Blair is the co-owner of Yoga Daily in Mt. Pleasant, SC. [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com] He is a certified yoga instructor, recovering lawyer and a spiritual student. The content of this blog is what Blair considers to be universal truths that span all dogma and religion and it is offered to you in Love and Light. Check out Yoga Dude [https://yogadailymountpleasant.com/the-yoga-dude/] for additional blog entries. You can contact Blair at [email protected]. Yoga is but one path to the knowing that we are all One. Please take what resonates with you and leave the rest without judgement or offense.